Compensating emergency-knuckle.



' No. 685,632. Patented Oct. 29, |90l-. .1. J. OBRIEN.

COMPENSATING EMERGENCY KNUCKLE. I

(Application filed Feb. 4, 1901.)

(No Model.)

UNITED ST TES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN J. OBRIEN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

COMPENSAT-ING EM ERIGENCY-KNUCKLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 685,632, dated October 29, 1901. Application filed February 4, 1901. Serial No. 45,962. (No model.)

To all whom) it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN J. OBRIEN, of the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Compensating Emergency Knuckles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

This jinventiou relates to compensating head in case the regular knuckle becomes broken or inoperative from any cause and which is pro'vided'with a compensating atf tachment whereby it will be automatically adjusted in the required. operative position. Figure 1 is a plan View showing my invention attached to the draw-head. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View showing the parts at tached together. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sec-, tional view and shows the manner in which the compensating attachment is held in position. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the drawhead,showing my invention applied thereto. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view showing the pocket in the knuckle within which the compensating attachment operates. Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the compensating attachment removed from the knuckle.

Emergency-knuckles have heretofore been;

constructed with more or less beneficial re-' sult; but they have uniformly been without any means for compensating for the various positions and constructions of the horns or projections of the draw-head.

y invention consists, essentially, of a knuckle adapted to be atta'ched to the drawhead by means of the usual pin and a com-- head, to one of the horns of which the knuckle is attached, which forms a part of the coupler. My improved knuckle consists, essentially, of the body 2, which is provided with an opening 3 adjacent to its rear end adapted to receive the pin 4, whereby the knuckle is attached to the draw-head. This opening 3 is of a size sufficient to receive the adjustingpins 4, which are made use of in connecting the knuckles to the draw-head, since it is frequently desired to use the knuckle in combination with draw-heads constructed to use the largest pins. 7 on other occasions'it may be desired to use the knuckle in combination with draw-heads using small pins, and to compensate or fill up the said opening 3 and ren' der, it of the required size I have provided the ferrule or thimble 5, the internal diameter of which is equal to the diameter of the small pins, and the said ferrule is of such size as to fit snugly within the opening 3. The upper end of the ferrule 5. is provided'with an annular flange 6, whereby itnis supported with- Y in the opening 3, andinthe upperside of the body of the knuckle around the opening 3is formed a depression 7, within which the flange 6 rests, so that the knuckle may. be readily attached to the draw-head withoutbeing-obstructed by the said flange 6. The inner end of the knuckle is provided with a verticalopening 8, within which the ferrule s a be carried when it is not required to be used in the opening 3, and the inner end of the knuckle is further providedowith a notch 9,

whereby all unnecessary weightisremoved;

Formed in the rear end of the. knuckle 2,

adjacent to the outer side thereof and substantially parallel with the curved outer end of the knuckle,;is,acurvedpocket or, recess" 3 draw-head without removing the pin 4. The inner jaw rests against the inner portion of the draw-head and serves to prevent the knuckle from being forced inwardly. An elongated opening 13 is formed in the arm 11 and is adapted to receive the screw 14, which passes through an opening in the wall outside the pocket 10, through the said opening 13, and into the threaded openingin the body of the knuckle2. (See Fig.3.) Notches 15 are formed at the end of the arm 11,one at the upper and one at the lower side thereof, and a spring 16 rests within each of said notches and serves to normally force the compensating attachment outwardly.

In use the compensating attachment is secured within the pocket 10 and in the manner described, and the screw lat prevents its removal therefrom. The springs 16 serve to actuate the attachment rearwardly and hold it against the end of the draw-head. The knuckle is secured in position by means of the usual pin 4, with or without the ferrule 5, as above described. The outer part of the horn or projection of the draw-head to which the knuckle is secured is received between the forks 12, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3. When in this position, the line of force does not pass parallel with the arm 11 nor with the sides of the pocket 10, and hence if the inner end of the knuckle is drawn forwardly the outer end thereof is pressed rearwardly and the compensating attachment abuts against the end of the horn or projection of the draw-head to which the knuckle if secured. This will formtwo contact-points for the arm 11, one of them being at the point indicated by 17 on the outer side of the said arm 11 and the other adjacent to its inner end and on the inner side thereof. Hence the springs 16 will not be compressed, owing to the friction between the parts when in the positions described, and the outer fork 12,as stated above, will prevent the inner end of the knuckle from being drawn forwardly. In

case the tendencyis to force the inner end of the knuckle rearwardly the contact-points are on the sides of the arm 11 opposite from the contact-points above described, and the inner fork on the rear end of the said arm 11 prevents the inward movement of the knuckle. It is apparent that by this construction the knuckle may be attached to draw-heads of various constructions and that by use of the compensating attachment the knuckle will be equally eifective and useful on the different draw-heads. By use of the ferrule 5 the size of the opening 3 may be regulated to accord with the size of the opening in the draw-head in which the pin 4 is carried. By such construction I provide for all variations both as to size of the pins to be used and as to the length of the outer side of the horn or projection of the draw-head to which the knuckle is secured. It also appears that the jaws 12 cooperate with the side of the draw-head to prevent the knuckle from lateral movement relative to the draw-head and, further, that this is accomplished independent of any of the locking mechanism, so that in case any portion of the locking mechanism becomes dis-. arranged or inoperative the emergency-kn uckle may be applied with equal etifectiveness and perform all the functions of a regular knuckle. In such respects and on account of its thorough operativeness the invention possesses superior qualities over those heretofore constructed with similar ends in View.

I claim- I 1. A compensating emergency-knuckle for car-couplers, consisting of a knuckle, means for attaching it to the draw-head independent of the locking mechanism, and a spring-actuated compensating arm carried thereby and adapted to abut against the horn or projection of the draw-head to which the knuckle is secured, substantially as specified.

2. A compensating emergency-knuckle fo car-couplers, consisting of a knuckle, means for attaching it to the draw-head, a spring-actuated compensating attachment carried by the knuckle and means for preventing dis placement of the compensating attachment to permit the dislocationof the knuckle, substantially as specified.

3. A compensating emergency-knuckle for car-couplers, consisting of a knuckle having a curved pocket formed therein, a compensat ing attachment operating with said pocket, means for retaining it in position therein, and means for attaching the knuckle to the drawhead, substantially as specified.

4. A compensating emergency-knuckle con sisting of a casting having a large opening 3 for the reception of the pin whereby it-is attached to the draw-head, a ferrule 5 for regulating the size of the opening 3, and means for upholding the said ferrule within the opening 3, in combination with a sliding compensating attachment carried by said casting and adapted to bear against the end of the draw-head to assist in retaining the casting in position, substantially as Specified.

5. A compensating emergency-knuckle for car-couplers, consisting of the body 2 having the curvedpocket 10 formed therein, in combination with a compensating attachment consisting of the curved arm 11 adapted to operate within the said pocket 10 and pro- Vided on its rear ends with forks adapted to receive the outer side of the horn of the draw head to which the knuckle is attached, means for actuating the said attachment outwardly, and means for preventing its removal from the pocket 10, substantially as specified.

6. A compensating emergency knuckle, consisting of. a knuckle adapted to be secured to the draw-head, and a spring-actuated compensating attachment carried thereby and adapted to bear against the draw-head, substantially as specified.

7. A compensating emergency-knuckle con-= and adapted to bear against the end of the 10 I I draw-head to determine the position of the knuckle. Y In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' JOHN J. OBRIEN.

Witnesses: v

ALFRED A. EIoKs, J OHN D. RIPPEY. 

